Mato and Azumah win unpreceedented 7 Gold medals at NJCAA Champs

What an exciting weekend with wonderful competition in the JUCO ranks. Lydia Ataa Afia Mato rang in 48 individual points by winning the 5000m, 3000m, one mile, 1000m, and coming 2nd in the 800m, while her teammate Sampson Azumah Laari scored 38 points with three victories in the 800m, 1000m, and one mile, and a 2nd place in the 5000m at the NJCAA Region 6 (Regional) Championships.

In doing so, Samspon recorded 2015 bests in three of his races, including two personal bests in the one mile and 5000m.

The points they contributed, led to Barton County College winning the men’s and women’s Regional Championship trophies, and their being named best athletes of the competition.

In the same competition, newcomers Solomon Afful and Mohammed Abubakar each scored in two events, with Afful registering a 2nd place in the 200m and 4th place in the 60m dash, the latter in a personal best-equaling 6.83s performance. Abubakar took 2nd place in the long jump and 3rd place in the triple jump.

In effect, Ghanaian athletes placed in the top 4 in 12 events spanning the men’s 60m, 200m, 800m, 1000m, one mile, 5000m, long jump, triple jump, and the women’s 800m, 1000m, one mile, and 5000m.

Elsewhere in the NJCAA, Daniel Gyasi topped a stellar field in the 400m, returning a fine time of 47.55s for the indoor two-lap race. At the same competition, Janet Amponsah continued in her yeoman’s way, returning a steady time of 23.75s in the indoor 200m to retain her dominance over the national NJCAA rankings. All six will congregate for a Ghanaian celebration at the NJCAA National Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Independence Day.

In the NAIA, the “Chosen One”, Elizabeth Dadzie nailed seasonal bests of 6.05m and 12.20m in the long and triple jumps, while also racing a near-personal best of 8.63s in the 60m hurdles, in Oklahoma Baptist University’s final tune-up competition before the NAIA National Championships, also on Ghana’s Independence weekend.

At the NCAA level, the early conference competitions saw two Ghanaian standout performers. First, Gemma Acheampong swept the 60m and 200m at the Patiot League Championships, breasting the tape in the 60m in a national record-equaling 7.18s!!! Her time equals the national record set by Vida Anim in 2004, and recently equaled by Flings Owusu-Agyapong last month. This is most likely the first time that a national record has been held by three people in Ghana’s history!

In the Northeast Conference Championships, Stephanie Aidoo ran 3 races on Saturday (400m, 200m, and 60m), and then repeated the same three races in the finals the next day, within a 1 hour 40 minute time spread. She won the 400m and 200m and ended up in 4th place in the finals of the 60m.

All in all, this was a busy weekend for Ghanaian athletes, and next week brings the bulk of the conference championships at the NCAA level, with Dasor, Nyamadi, Ampomah, Agyei, Dupeh, Bruce, Yamoah, Amankwah, Boakye, Eke, Obeng-Akrofi, Larbi, Donyinah, and Akai, among others, all preparing to represent their respective universities.

 

Below are the rest of rankings:

55m

Janet Amponsah                                6.93s                  30-Jan   National Record/World Ranking #9

Doreen Agyei                                      7.16s                  01-Feb   Personal Best

 

60m

Flings Owusu-Agyapong                   7.18s                  16-Jan   =National Record/World Ranking #11

Gemma Acheampong                       7.18s                  22-Feb   =National Record/World Ranking #11

Janet Amponsah                                7.40s                  07-Feb     Personal Best

Gemma Acheampong                       7.49s                  06-Dec    Personal Best

Shekara Boakye                                 7.49s                  16-Jan     Personal Best

Akua Obeng-Akrofi                            7.60s                  24-Jan, 30-Jan      Personal Best

Hand Time:

Akua Obeng-Akrofi                              7.3s                   05-Dec

 

200m

Janet Amponsah                              23.67s                  06-Feb   National Record

Akua Obeng-Akrofi                          24.06s                  13-Feb   Personal Best

Gemma Acheampong                     24.41s                  07-Feb   Personal Best

Shekara Boakye                               24.84s                  21-Feb   Personal Best

Stephanie Aidoo                              24.90s                  06-Feb   Personal Best

Doreen Agyei                                    24.98s                  07-Feb   Personal Best

 

300m

Gemma Acheampong                     39.50s                  16-Jan   Personal Best

400m

Stephanie Aidoo                              56.20s                  13-Feb   Personal Best

Lynette Akai                                      57.36s                  07-Feb

Ama Larbi                                          57.56s                  10-Jan

Bless Dupeh                                      58.54s                  09-Jan

Elizabeth Dadzie                              59.07s                  04-Dec

 

500m

Stephanie Aidoo                              1.17.28m             16-Jan   Personal Best

Bless Dupeh                                      1.17.63m             09-Jan   Personal Best

 

600m

Lynette Akai                                      1.37.74m             06-Feb   Personal Best

Bless Dupeh                                      1.39.63m             04-Dec  Personal Best

 

800m

Ama Larbi                                          2.19.23m             06-Feb   Personal Best

 

1000m

Lydia Mato                                        3.00.97m             22-Feb   Personal Best

 

One Mile

Lydia Mato                                        5.04.14m             31-Jan   Personal Best

 

3000m

Lydia Mato                                        10.34.80s            22-Feb

 

5000m

Lydia Mato                                        17.14.40s            16-Jan   Personal Best

 

60mh

Elizabeth Dadzie                                8.58s                  14-Feb   Personal Best

 

High Jump

Elizabeth Dadzie                                1.55m                 06-Dec

 

Long Jump

Elizabeth Dadzie                              6.05m                   20-Feb

Ebony Owusu-Sampah                   5.90m                   06-Feb   Personal Best

Nadia Eke                                          5.81m                   16-Jan   Personal Best

 

Triple Jump

Nadia Eke                                          13.17m                31-Jan   Personal Best

Mathilde Boateng                           12.88m                21-Feb

Elizabeth Dadzie                              12.20m                20-Feb

 

Shot Putt

Obeng Marfo                                    14.68m                21-Feb   Personal Best

Claudia Ababio                                 14.18m                12-Feb   Personal Best

 

 

Weight Throw

Obeng Marfo                                    17.76m                13-Feb   Personal Best

Claudia Ababio                                 17.60m                17-Jan   Personal Best

 

Pentathlon

Elizabeth Dadzie                              3594p                   30-Jan

 

Men:

60m

Allah Laryea Akrong                          6.74s                  09-Jan

Emmanuel Dasor                               6.82s                  06-Feb   Personal Best

Solomon Afful                                    6.83s                  12-Feb, 22-Feb   Personal Best

Tim Abeyie                                          6.89s                  24-Jan

Shadrack Adu-Gyamfi                       6.95s                  09-Jan

 

200m

Emmanuel Dasor                             21.28s                  30-Jan   Personal Best

Solomon Afful                                  21.61s                  07-Feb   Personal Best

Daniel Gyasi                                      22.11s                  24-Jan   Personal Best

Shadrack Adu-Gyamfi                     22.59s                  09-Jan

 

400m

Emmanuel Dasor                             47.29s                  17-Jan   Personal Best

Daniel Gyasi                                      47.36s                  14-Feb   Personal Best

Kwame Donyinah                            49.38s                  24-Jan

 

600 y

Daniel Gyasi                                      1.11.23s               30-Jan   Personal Best

 

600m

Emmanuel Dasor                             1.22.24s               04-Dec

 

800m

Alex Amankwah                               1.46.86m             24-Jan   =National Record/ World Ranking #11

 

1000m

Samson Azumah Laari                    2.31.57m             22-Feb

 

One Mile

Samson Azumah Laari                    4.23.70m             22-Feb   Personal Best

 

5000m

Samson Azumah Laari                    15.21.92m           21-Feb   Personal Best

 

60mh

Yakabu Ibrahim                                 8.02s                  14-Feb

Atsu Nyamadi                                     8.41s                  04-Dec

 

Pole Vault

Jordan Yamoah                                  4.90m                 07-Feb

Atsu Nyamadi                                     3.50m                 06-Dec

 

High Jump

Atsu Nyamadi                                     2.01m                 01-Feb   Personal Best

 

Long Jump

Atsu Nyamadi                                     7.34m                 01-Feb   Personal Best

Mohammed Abubakar                      7.32m                 06-Feb   Personal Best

Michael Bruce                                    7.23m                 30-Jan   Personal Best

 

Triple Jump

Nana Owusu-Nyantekyi                 15.34m                07-Dec

Michael Bruce                                  15.15m                07-Feb   Personal Best

Atsu Nyamadi                                   15.04m                06-Dec  Personal Best

 

Shot Putt

Atsu Nyamadi                                   14.20m                09-Jan   Personal Best

John Ampomah                                14.13m                09-Jan   Personal Best